Word inserted PNG image marked as decorative in Edit Alt Text Screen reader compatibility

Expected Result: works in a screen reader

Actual Result: causes problems in 2 screen reader / browser combinations

Office 365 / Word 2019 have the 'Mark as decorative' option, but Word 2016 and earlier don't have this option.

Code used for this test:

        <a href='Office/word-365.docx'>word-365.docx</a>
    

Change History

Last updated: December 12, 2023

• VoiceOver macOS OK in VoiceOver macOS 10.13

Screen reader	Browser	Mode	Notes	What the user hears
Narrator	Office 365 - Word 16.18	Reading	Voiced identically to an image with no Alt Text	Image, inline with text. Inline with text, non-selected.
NVDA 2017.3	Office 365 - Word 16.18	Reading	No indication of image content	Graphic
JAWS 17.0.2619	Office 365 - Word 16.18	Reading	No indication image is present, but this is what should happen for decorative images.	Space
VoiceOver macOS 10.13	Word 2016	Reading		Decorative, inline with text, image

Test notes

All tests were carried out with screen reader factory settings. JAWS in particular has a wide variety of settings controlling exactly what gets spoken.

Screen readers allow users to interact in different modes, and can produce very different results in each mode. The modes used in these tests are:

• Reading Content read using the “read next” command in a screen reader
• Tabbing Content read using the “tab” key in a screen reader
• Heading Content read using the “next heading” key in a screen reader
• Touch Content read when touching an area of screen on a mobile device

In the “What the user hears” column:

• Commas represent short pauses in screen reader voicing
• Full Stops represent places where voicing stops, and the “read next” or “tab” or “next heading” command is pressed again
• Ellipsis … represent a long pause in voicing
• (Brackets) represent voicing that requires a keystroke to hear